The Future: A Must for Our World Community

Learning someone else's language is nо longer some personal cultural adornment, but rather а signal of membership in and stewardship of the world community. The ground is shifting under our feet, and we will continue tо see dramatic changes in the numbers of people learning foreign languages, in the use of and exposure to foreign languages.

Ultimately, we need tо make the individual connections, whether it is two powerful leaders adjourning for some private conversation or а tourist and native sharing а cup of tea together. Each will find differences really not so vast as we once supposed when communication was obscured by the veil of а language we did not understand. The arenas may change; they may be political, social, economic, military, artistic, educational, or recreational, but the underlying need for individuals tо understand each other does not change. Nothing can make those connections faster or more human than sharing а common language.  

It is necessary to learn foreign languages. That's why pupils have got such subject as a foreign language at school. Everybody knows his own language, but it is useful to know foreign languages.

I learn English, because I understand that I can use it. For example, if I go to England I'll be able to speak English there. If I go to the USA, I'll speak English too. English is used not only in England, but also in other parts of the world.

I learn English because I want to read foreign literature in the original. I know and like such English and American writers as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll and others. I understand that I must learn English. If I know English well, I'll be able to go to the library and take books by English and American writers in the original.

I like to travel. But it is difficult to visit countries, when you don't know the language of these countries. If I know the language of the country, where I am going to, it will be easy to travel there. If I want to ask something, I can do it in English.

I like to read books. And I like to read newspapers, too. If I know, for example, English I'll be able to read English newspapers and magazines. Knowledge of foreign languages helps young people of different countries to understand each other, to develop friendship among them. For example, we have a foreign exhibition in Moscow. If I know a foreign language, it is easy for me to visit this exhibition.

You can see a lot of advertisements, signboards, names in the streets. They are in foreign languages. Very often they are in English. If you know English, you can read and understand them.

Now we buy many clothes from other countries. If you know English well, you can read something about the size of this or that thing. It is clear for you what it is made of.

There are a lot of films in foreign languages. If you know foreign languages, you can understand films without any help. There are international friendship camps in the world. If you can speak foreign languages, it will be easy for you to visit such camps and speak with the boys, girls, men even they don't know Russian.

In short, I understand that I have to learn English in a proper way and I try to do it.